Ansiedad ante los exámenes en estudiantes de inglés: un caso de pruebas de vocabulario utilizando preguntas de opción múltiple y de identificación de errores

INTRODUCCIÓ. L’estudi intenta discernir l’impacte que té l’ansietat provocada pels exàmens en el rendiment dels aprenents d’anglès. MÈTODE. Cinquanta dones estudiants d’anglès dels nivells intermedi i mitjà-superior es van dividir en dos grups —elecció múltiple (EM) i identificació d’errors (IE)— segons les puntuacions que havien obtingut en els exàmens de vocabulari fets en la fase pretest. Després, es va administrar un qüestionari per valorar el nivell d’ansietat que els havien provocat aquests exàmens. Durant un període de vint setmanes, el grup IE va fer activitats basades en la identificació d’errors, mentre que al grup EM se li van oferir classes que incloïen exercicis d’elecció múltiple. Després d’aquesta etapa, es van tornar a aplicar els mateixos exàmens i el qüestionari. RESULTATS I DISCUSSIÓ. Els resultats van demostrar que el nivell d’ansietat en els exàmens va ser més alt en el grup que va rebre el format d’IE. A través d’aquest estudi es va observar el paper positiu de la familiarització i l’impacte negatiu de l’ansietat debilitativa. Les conclusions d’aquest estudi es poden transferir a altres proves de competència d’alt nivell.Introduction. This study sought to discern the impact of test anxiety on English language learners’ test performance. Method. Fifty female learners at intermediate and upper-intermediate levels of English were divided into two groups – Multiple-Choice (MC) and Error Identification (EI) – according to their scores in vocabulary tests given in the pre-treatment phase. A questionnaire was then administered to assess the level of anxiety brought about by these tests. During a 20-week period the EI group received lesson plans designed based on error-identification activities, while the MC group was offered instructions including multiple-choice items. After the treatment, the same tests and questionnaire were administered. Results and Discussion. The findings showed that the level of test anxiety was higher in the EI group compared with the MC group. The positive role of familiarization and the negative impact of debilitative anxiety were observed through this study. The findings of the current study can be transferred to other high-stake proficiency tests.INTRODUCCIÓN. Este estudio busca discernir el impacto de la ansiedad ante el desempeño de los exámenes de estudiantes de inglés. MÉTODO. Cincuenta alumnas de niveles intermedio e intermedio-alto de inglés se dividieron en dos grupos: opción múltiple (OM) e identificación de errores (IE), de acuerdo con sus calificaciones en los exámenes que recibieron en la fase de pretest. Después de esta etapa, se administró un cuestionario para evaluar el nivel de ansiedad que comportaron estas pruebas. Durante un período de veinte semanas, el grupo IE recibió clases diseñadas a partir de ejercicios sobre identificación de errores, mientras que al grupo OM se le ofrecieron clases que incluían preguntas de opción múltiple. Tras el tratamiento, se volvieron a aplicar los mismos exámenes y el cuestionario. RESULTADOS Y DISCUSIÓN. Los hallazgos mostraron que el nivel de ansiedad ante los exámenes es mayor en el grupo que recibió el formato de IE de la prueba de conocimiento de vocabulario. A través de este estudio se observó el papel positivo de la familiarización y el impacto negativo de la ansiedad debilitante. Los hallazgos del estudio actual se pueden transferir a otras pruebas de competencia de alto nivel

L'effet de l'ordre de naissance sur l'apprentissage d'une langue seconde ou étrangère

Psychologically, birth order has the most essential influence on the way children in a family take different roles. Studies show the difference among the siblings in different viewpoints such as cognitive maturity, motivation and so on. What has not been clarified is the relationship that may exist between birth order and the procedure of learning a second or foreign language for the children. Different attitudes bring various types of perspectives toward learning a second or foreign language, we can refer to the study that Saunders (2003) mentioned in his book in which positive attitudes to language learning was observed, thus children being born in different orders may have different views toward learning a second or foreign language. This paper tries to shed as much light as possible on the concept of birth order and seeks to find a relationship that already hasn‟t been cleared up between birth order and the effect it might have on learning a second or foreign language. In order to come to this conclusion, the relationships between birth order and personality traits, intelligence, educational attainment and cognitive maturity have been scrutinized. Finally some studies which exclusively have been worked on the effect of birth order and vocabulary development are presented. As a result we found that there is a conventional relationship between birth order and learning a second or foreign language.Psychologiquement, l'ordre de naissance a l'influence la plus essentielle sur la façon dont les enfants dans une famille prennent des rôles différents. Les études montrent la différence entre les frères et soeurs dans différents points de vue tels que la maturité cognitive, la motivation et ainsi de suite. Ce qui n'a pas été clarifié, c'est la relation qui peut exister entre l'ordre de naissance et la procédure d'apprentissage d'une deuxième langue ou d'une langue étrangère pour les enfants. Différentes attitudes apportent divers types de perspectives vers l'apprentissage d'une seconde langue ou d'une langue étrangère, on peut se référer à l'étude que Saunders (2003) a mentionnée dans son livre dans laquelle les attitudes positives à l'apprentissage des langues ont été observées; L'apprentissage d'une langue seconde ou étrangère. Cet article s'efforce d'apporter autant de lumière que possible sur le concept de l'ordre de naissance et cherche à trouver une relation qui n'a pas encore été éclaircie entre l'ordre de naissance et l'effet qu'il pourrait avoir sur l'apprentissage d'une langue seconde ou étrangère. Pour arriver à cette conclusion, les relations entre l'ordre de naissance et les traits de personnalité, l'intelligence, le niveau de scolarité et la maturité cognitive ont été examinées. Enfin, certaines études qui ont exclusivement été étudiées sur l'effet de l'ordre des naissances et du développement du vocabulaire sont présentées. En conséquence, nous avons constaté qu'il existe une relation conventionnelle entre l'ordre de naissance et l'apprentissage d'une langue seconde ou étrangère

El efecto de la enseñanza explícita de modismos en la elección de estrategias por parte de estudiantes de inglés en una prueba de comprensión lectora

Recepción: 05 de febrero de 2017Aceptado: 23 de febrero de 2017Correspondencia: Yasin KhoshhalCorreo-e: [email protected]: 0000-0003-0290-1091Evaluadores:Dra. Karen McMullin. Trent University (Canada). ORCID: 0000-0002-1449-3550Dra. Marzia Fiorini. Università degli Studi di Cassino e del Lazio Meridionale (Italia). Identificador Dialnet: 778877Abstract: Research has shown that students tend to choose their preferred strategy when they are asked to find the meaning of idiomatic phrases in a text. This study investigates how English learners choose their preferred strategies to find the correct definition of idiomatic phrases. Thirty-three learners of English were given a reading passage which consisted of twenty idiomatic expressions, and their strategy choice in finding the correct definition of each phrase was examined. The participants were divided into two groups. The experimental group (with seventeen students) was taught idioms explicitly during the course and the control group (with sixteen students) did not receive any explicit instruction in learning idioms. The results showed that among the given strategies, the group which was taught explicitly tended to choose “using dictionary” more often whereas the other group preferred to “ask the teacher”. As Rodríguez and Winnberg (2013) observed, learners try different strategies and techniques when they encounter a problem and as teachers it is important to notice that every student has a particular way of learning. This study suggests that teaching idioms explicitly should be combined with implicit learning in EFL contexts. Furthermore, learners need more exposure (explicit or implicit) to the meaning and usage of idiomatic phrases in order to master this complex field of learning.Resumen: La investigación muestra que los estudiantes tienden a escoger su estrategia preferida al pedirles que encuentren el significado de modismos en un texto. Este estudio investiga la elección de estrategias preferidas por parte de estudiantes de inglés para encontrar la definición correcta de estas expresiones. A treinta y tres estudiantes de inglés se les proporcionó un texto escrito que consistía en veinte modismos y se examinó la estrategia elegida para encontrar la definición correcta de cada frase. Los participantes se dividieron en dos grupos. Al grupo experimental (con diecisiete estudiantes) se le enseñaron modismos de forma explícita durante el curso. El grupo control (con dieciséis estudiantes) no recibió instrucción explícita de las expresiones. Los resultados muestran que de las estrategias proporcionadas, el grupo que recibió instrucción explícita eligió “usar el diccionario” más a menudo mientras el otro grupo prefería “preguntar al profesor”. Como observaron Rodríguez y Winnberg (2013), los estudiantes prueban diferentes estrategias y técnicas cuando encuentran un problema y como profesores es importante tener en cuenta que cada estudiante tiene un estilo particular de aprendizaje. Este estudio sugiere que la enseñanza explícita de modismos se debe combinar con el aprendizaje implícito en contextos de aprendizaje de inglés como lengua extranjera. Además, los estudiantes necesitan más contacto (explícito o implícito) con el significado y uso de modismos para dominar esta complicada área de aprendizaje.Universidad de Granada. Departamento de Psicología Social. Proyecto de Innovación Docente ReiDoCre

The Role of Teaching Materials in the ESP Course: A Case of Business English (Finance and Economics)

The present paper reviews the literature on the role of materials in the context of ESP. Hence, the true definition of ESP and its varieties are presented as well as the elements that are engaged in development or selection of teaching materials. Needs analysis as a major point is delineated in the following section and the distinctions between ESP and GE (General English courses) are defined. Eventually, the nature of materials is depicted through presenting necessary requirements and criteria for choosing, developing and using appropriate teaching material. In the end, materials in business English (finance and economics) are taken into account particularly and suggestions are made for business English courses

An Error Analysis Case Study: Out of Context Translation of Persian Sentences into English for Elementary EFL Learners

This study aims at analyzing errors committed by the Iranian elementary EFL learners. The investigation not only considers the types of errors committed, but also tries to shed light on the sources of these errors. To this end, a worksheet of ten Persian sentences translated from the original English content of the learners’ course book were provided to a class of 20 elementary level English students. The learners were tasked with translating each sentence back into English. The researcher then had to analyze each translated sentence with regard to three aspects of grammar, choice of words, and spelling. The next step was categorizing any errors and finding the frequency of each of them. The results indicated that errors in the use of articles were the most frequent (20% of the total number of errors), followed by the wrong uses of verbs (18.66%), and the wrong use of tense (10.66%). According to the findings, correct use of articles should more often be the focus for EFL context, and the use of correct verbs and tenses should also be absolutely clarified and emphasized

The effect of birth order on learning a second or foreign language

Psychologically, birth order has the most essential influence on the way children in a family take different roles. Studies show the difference among the siblings in different viewpoints such as cognitive maturity, motivation and so on. What has not been clarified is the relationship that may exist between birth order and the procedure of learning a second or foreign language for the children. Different attitudes bring various types of perspectives toward learning a second or foreign language, we can refer to the study that Saunders (2003) mentioned in his book in which positive attitudes to language learning was observed, thus children being born in different orders may have different views toward learning a second or foreign language. This paper tries to shed as much light as possible on the concept of birth order and seeks to find a relationship that already hasn’t been cleared up between birth order and the effect it might have on learning a second or foreign language. In order to come to this conclusion, the relationships between birth order and personality traits, intelligence, educational attainment and cognitive maturity have been scrutinized. Finally some studies which exclusively have been worked on the effect of birth order and vocabulary development are presented. As a result we found that there is a conventional relationship between birth order and learning a second or foreign language.

The Effect of Explicit Teaching of Idioms on Strategy Choice for EFL Learners in a Reading Comprehension Test

Research has shown that students tend to choose their preferred strategy when they are asked to find the meaning of idiomatic phrases in a text. This study investigates how English learners choose their preferred strategies to find the correct definition of idiomatic phrases. Thirty-three learners of English were given a reading passage which consisted of twenty idiomatic expressions, and their strategy choice in finding the correct definition of each phrase was examined. The participants were divided into two groups. The experimental group (with seventeen students) was taught idioms explicitly during the course and the control group (with sixteen students) did not receive any explicit instruction in learning idioms. The results showed that among the given strategies, the group which was taught explicitly tended to choose “using dictionary” more often whereas the other group preferred to “ask the teacher”. As Rodríguez and Winnberg (2013) observed, learners try different strategies and techniques when they encounter a problem and as teachers it is important to notice that every student has a particular way of learning. This study suggests that teaching idioms explicitly should be combined with implicit learning in EFL contexts. Furthermore, learners need more exposure (explicit or implicit) to the meaning and usage of idiomatic phrases in order to master this complex field of learning